


Ho Ho Fucking Ho

by Lady_Ganesh



Series: Welcome to Miami [2]
Category: Saiyuki
Genre: 1980s, Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Holidays, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2018-01-01 03:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Magician doesn't work on Christmas. But he has something for Kane.</p>
<p>Written for the "Can't Touch This" prompt at Weiss vs. Saiyuki battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ho Ho Fucking Ho

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [](http://emungere.livejournal.com/profile)[**emungere**](http://emungere.livejournal.com/) for betaing and of course much love to [](http://indelicateink.livejournal.com/profile)[**indelicateink**](http://indelicateink.livejournal.com/) for dreaming up [Miamiverse](http://indelicateink.livejournal.com/313888.html).

Kane tapped his hands on his dashboard and wondered if he was driving out for nothing. Ralston would be panicked. He’d probably be at the port right now, but no one had asked Kane to run out to the port. Instead, he was winding through the swamp on his way to the Magician’s. It was hot for December, and he was glad the new cruiser had air conditioning. The old Chrysler barely managed tepid air by the end.

Vidal was lying, stomach-down, on a pool lounger behind his trailer, even though the nearest pool was over at the country club, behind a six-foot chain link fence topped with barbed wire. A copy of _Rolling Stone_ was on the ground by his right hand. He was shirtless, with denim cutoffs so tight and short Kane could see the outline of his boxers. His skin glistened with tanning oil. “It’s Christmas,” Vidal said, not even bothering to open his eyes. “I don’t work on Christmas. Didn’t you see the flag was down?”

“Anyone else asked you about that?”

Vidal started at that. He obviously hadn’t recognized the sound of Kane’s new car. Still, he was grinning as his eyes flew open. “What are you doing here?”

“Working.”

“It’s Christmas.”

Kane shrugged. “Buddhist.” At least he was Buddhist as much as he was anything.

Vidal sat up. "Haven't heard from anyone today, but I try to get the word out I'm not working. A lot of the people I see are home pretending to be good parents anyway."

"You grew up Christian?"

"Dad fled Castro and Ma was running from Mao. What do you think?" He shifted his weight, and Kane caught a brief flash of metal. "You want coffee? Shouldn't drive all the way out here for nothing."

"You made coffee?"

Vidal shrugged. "Might be stale. What time is it?"

"Almost three."

"I could brew some fresh." He got up, gathering the - ah, brass knuckles - under his magazine and heading to the trailer. “Got eggnog too. Non-alcoholic. Straight from the carton."

It sounded disgusting. Kane kind of wanted some. "I'm looking for a guy who pissed off the cartels," he said. "Stole a lot of money, laundered it overseas. He'll try to pay you in cash."

"Told you," Vidal said, popping the back door of the trailer open. "Not working."

"He might not know that."

_"Everyone_ knows that, Kane," Vidal said brightly. "Don't sweat it. No one's comin' around on Christmas."

Kane didn't sigh, because that would be childish. He rolled his eyes. "If he does come around," he said, "you might want to let him know the cartel came after his daughter last night. She's in protective custody. His best bet is to come in with us. We can't guard her forever."

"I can't help you if he doesn't show," Vidal said. "Come on in."

Kane followed him into the trailer and down his narrow hallway. "I don't want--"

"It's Christmas. You should at least sit on your ass and enjoy the day for five minutes." Vidal waved expansively toward his living room, the broken-down velvet couch and ancient rocking chair the same as always. There was a skinny fake Christmas tree in the corner, covered to the choking point with multicolored blinking lights. There were a few gifts underneath the tree, wrapped in holographic wrapping paper, with haphazardly applied bows. "Eggnog?"

"Um, okay," he said. He sat down tentatively on the couch. The springs squeaked their usual protest. The trailer was hot as shit; he wondered if Vidal's AC had finally died, or Vidal just hadn't bothered turning it on today. Maybe there wasn't any point if you were going to spend the day sunbathing.

"I'm pretty sure there's eggnog, anyway...." Vidal leaned into the fridge. "Um. Maybe I put the carton back empty." Kane watched him shuffle shit around. He could see the lines of Vidal's bare back, his skin disappearing into his cutoffs. "Coke?"

"Sure," he said.

"Awesome," Vidal said, pulling his head out of the fridge. "Fuck the taste tests, I like Coke." He kept a can for himself and handed the second to Kane, sinking down on the rocking chair, close enough to Kane that their knees almost touched. "Oh, your present."

"You didn't--"

"Christmas," Vidal said brightly. He reached under the tree and handed Kane a small box. It looked like a jewelry box. It had "K" written on the front in black magic marker, which kind of hurt the whole holographic effect.

"I can't take--"

"It's not worth much," Vidal said. "C'mon, it's Christmas. It's my holiday. Respect my culture, man."

Kane smiled in spite of himself and opened the box. There was a necklace inside, under a layer of thick fuzzy stuff. A gold chain with a pendant. He held it up. A Chinese character: the sun. "I can't take this," he said.

"It's not expensive," Vidal said. "It just looks expensive. It--do you like it?"

_I can't take this,_ he didn’t repeat. "Why the sun?"

"You're Chinese, right? I thought you were. And then I was afraid you weren’t but...it reminded me of you, I guess. You like it?"

He let the chain slither into his hand. It sure as fuck felt expensive. "Thanks," he said. "It's nice."

Vidal let out a breath. "Good," he said. "Merry Christmas."

"I didn't...I don't celebrate it," he said. "I didn't even think about--"

"Don't get me anything," Vidal said. "I just. I dunno, I guess it was a good excuse to give it to you. It looked like you."

Kane frowned at him. "I look like the sun?"

Vidal shrugged. "Not exactly. But it looked like you."

"Okay," Kane said, because that was almost certainly the only explanation he would ever get from Vidal. Vidal was kind of weird. "Thanks. For the Coke, too. You're right, I probably needed a break."

"You did," Vidal said, that brilliant grin of his lighting his face. "I'm the Magician. I know this shit."

Kane shook his head and opened his Coke.

 

He took the long way back from Vidal's, just in case Ralston was heading out that way. Vidal was probably right, the asshole. But he looked anyway.

The necklace was in its box on the passenger seat. He shouldn't have taken it. Cops didn't take presents from informants. ( _Of course they do,_ his treacherous mind said. _It's just that cops like you don't. Or maybe that's just what you want to tell yourself._ )

Vidal had said it didn't cost much. It was hard to tell with jewelry. Kane certainly didn't know shit about it beyond what he'd learned from pawn shops and evidence collection.

It wasn't like it was traceable or anything. People made pendants like that every day.

He pulled over and took it out of the box again. He could pawn it. Or sell it. Or give it to Ren. Or just throw it out of the window of the car.

The chain felt smooth and cool on his neck.

He pulled back onto the road and headed back to the station.


End file.
